On Wednesday 04 December 2024, the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) held its plenary meeting at the UIC headquarters in Paris.
The session was chaired by Dr Ralf Kaminsky (Siemens/UNIFE), who was appointed as ERRAC Chair, effective from July 2024 with a three-year mandate (2024-2027).
The first part discussed the new priorities of the European Commission for implementing the current research and innovation programme. It also addressed the research directions and future capabilities that rail will develop as an important component of European mobility and transport.
Representatives of Europe’s Rail Join Undertaking (ERJU), the Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport (DG Move), and Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD)+ participated in this debate.
Keynote speeches were given by Giorgio Travaini, Executive Director ERJU, entitled “Delivering, implementing and preparing for the future”, and Keir Fitch, DG Move, on priorities for transport and mobility, as well as a discussion by Andrea Gentili, DG RTD, on “Future rail R&I and EC priorities”.
During the session, representatives from the Railway Operating Community (ROC), industry, academia and the European States also debated ERRAC’s latest publication on the Railway Research Innovation Agenda.
The second part of the ERRAC plenary session also discussed its current challenges and work plan for 2025.
UIC and the ROC were represented in this debate by Artur Fojud, UIC Head of Research and Innovation, who serves as ERRAC Secretary, and Christine Hassoun, Member of the ERRAC Secretariat. The leaders of the UIC Research and Innovation Coordination Group (RICG) also actively participated in the debate.
Here, Christophe Cheron, Vice-Chair of ERRAC and Chair of the RICG, stressed the need for priorities to be coordinated at national and European level and for all active stakeholders in the sector and in academia to work closely together.
Next, Davide Zamboni, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), presented the key components of the ERRAC WG1 Strategic Programme Group and Roberta Calcina, Italian State Railways (FS), detailed the current and planned activities of the ERRAC WG2 Projects Group.
Dr Marion Berbineau, from the Gustav Eiffel University and Chair of the ERRAC Academia Permanent Advisory Group, then provided information about the next edition of the “Masters and PhD Competition”, which will be launched in partnership with ERRAC later in December 2024.
The next ERRAC plenary meetings are scheduled for 5 June 2025 and 4 December 2025 in Brussels.
Details of ERRAC participation and events can be found on the ERRAC website (Home - ERRAC) as well as on the UIC website (European Railway Research Advisory Council (ERRAC)).
ERRAC LinkedIn Page: here
